Great Barrier Reef quickly recuperating from coral bleaching epidemic!

Canberra: For those who are nature lovers and are up-to-date with all that is going on related to the environment, would probably be familiar with coral bleaching.

Environment authorities in Australia, have been monitoring the Great Barrier Reef ever since the impact of climate change on the corals first came to the forefront.

Things certainly appeared bad for them as the bleaching slowly travelled further covering more distance as months passed.

Now, however, the situation seems to be changing for the better, it seems. As per latest reports, the Great Barrier Reef has almost fully recovered from the worst coral bleaching ever known in recent history, authorities said on Monday.

A three-minute video clip recorded on September 2 by Quicksilver Group, a private tour operator specialising in Great Barrier Reef tours in Queensland showed several international and local tourists attesting to that fact, Xinhua news agency reported.

Quicksilver Group's environment and compliance manager and marine biologist Doug Baird said coral on Agincourt Reef number three off Port Douglas at the Great Barrier Reef was "well in the process recovery" from a bleaching event six months ago.

"It was a very robust reef going into the bleaching event. It was healthy, the water quality was good out here," Baird said.

"In fact, it was the best-managed reef system anywhere on the planet." "This builds up the resilience of the reef that gives it that opportunity under these natural events to actually cope and recover," he said.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority tourism and stewardship director Roger Beeden said he was aware of reports Agincourt Reef coral was recovering.

He said in-water surveys to be conducted in October would enable scientists to closely monitor the recovery and survival rates across the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

(With IANS inputs)